Walmart made the news earlier this month by announcing a special layaway option for it’s 2011 holiday shoppers. Then Sears and Kmart declared National Layaway Week to help kick off the holiday shopping season. All of this news about the return of layaway made a splash since the dismal state of the American economy is putting a serious strain on many families’ holiday shopping budgets. Layaway programs largely fell out of favor with retailers and shoppers alike in the last twenty years, with Walmart cancelling their own program in 2006. However, for the 2011 holiday shopping season, Walmart’s press release makes it clear that they want “to help families deliver a big Christmas this year” by reinstating the program. The discount chain also decided to slash prices on some toys beginning September 12th, the earliest they’ve ever done so in anticipation of the holiday season.

Pay for holiday gifts in installments with layaway programs at your favorite stores.

But Walmart isn’t the only major retailer out there offering layaway in 2011. Many of your favorite stores are hoping to make the holidays easier on your wallet this year with layaway programs of their own. It’s even possible to do layaway online. We’ve assembled a list of stores where you can pay for those big ticket items over time.

Please keep in mind that our opinion is that layaway is a bad consumer decision. You should just save the money yourself and make the same purchase, without a fee. You are literally loaning the retailer money and paying them a fee for the privilege!

Best Buy

Make a 25% down payment, plus a 5% nonrefundable layaway fee. Best Buy requires a minimum purchase of $250, but keep in mind that you can include several items to meet that total. Payments are made every two weeks until the balance is paid in full. Items that are ineligible for layaway include clearance, promotional, closeout and discontinued items. For complete details:
Best Buy Layaway Policy

Big Lots

Although it’s not well-publicized and information about it can be hard to find, Big Lots offers “price holds” on select items at select locations. Price holds usually are limited to upholstery, but it’s definitely worth asking about if there’s a particular piece of furniture that you want to buy. To qualify for a Price Hold, customers must put 10% down and pay off the balance within 90 days. Terms may vary by location, so be sure to ask how price holds work at your store locally. (more…)